Veteran Nollywood actor, director, and movie producer, Emeka Ike is one of the few actors who have left an indelible mark in the Nigerian movie industry. Having been on the silver screen for over two decades now, the 57-year-old Nollywood superstar needs no further introduction.
The legendary actor came to the limelight after starring in the movie Deadly Affairs in 1987. Since his debut, the movie actor and producer has starred in over a hundred blockbuster movies. Emeka Ike has grown to become one of the most renowned and influential actors in Nollywood of all time; little wonder, he was awarded the Nollywood Living Legend at the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards in 2017.
Profile Summary Of Emeka Ike
- Full Name: Emeka Ike
- Date of Birth: March 22, 1967
- Age: 57 years old
- State of Origin: Imo
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Ike
- Siblings: 4
- Marital status: Married
- Spouse: Yolanda Pfeiffer
- Children: 5
- Profession: Actor, entrepreneur, director, producer, investor, philanthropist.
- Net Worth: $3 million
The 57-Year-Old Actor Is From Imo State, Nigeria
The legendary actor was born on March 22, 1967, to Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Ike. The actor hails from Mbano local government area of Imo State. Emeka Ike came from a strong Christian family, as his father was a strong pastor before he later passed away. He is the second child in a family of 5 children. He was raised alongside his siblings in Lagos, where he had his primary school at Eko Primary School in Bariga, Lagos.
Having obtained his First leaving certificate, Emeka Ike proceeded to Apata Memorial High School and acquired his West African Senior School Certificate. He later gained admission into the prestigious University of Lagos, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and obtained his first degree. The legendary Nollywood actor and movie producer. He has so far been married twice, and he is a proud father of five children.
Emeka Ike Started Acting In His Teenage Years
The Nollywood superstar had always loved acting from a young age. While he was still in secondary school, he had started laying the foundation for his future acting career by involving in stage dramas and other performing arts. The legendary actor continued nursing his passion for acting even during his university days.
Reports show that he started acting professionally as an undergraduate but has not become famous as he did not enjoy media publicity. Emeka Ike’s acting career experienced a huge breakthrough when he got introduced to the famous Nollywood movie producer Charles Owoyemi by his senior colleague Ernest Obi. This feat set the ball rolling stone for his acting career as it landed him his first lead role in a movie.
He Rose to Prominence at the Age of 20 in 1987
The veteran actor made his acting debut in the 1987 movie Deadly Affairs. The movie became a critical and commercial success, thus bringing the actor into the glare of publicity. Having garnered much popularity, the talented actor became one of the highly sought-after actors in the industry by movie producers, as he started getting countless lead roles in movies.
Many would call it typecasting, but Emeka Ike distinguished himself as a ‘lover boy’ in movies, which made him fondly called the Nollywood Bad Boy by most of his fans. With this, the name Emeka Ike became a household name to Nigerian movie lovers. Since his debut, the Nollywood Badboy has starred in almost about 200 Nollywood movies. Some of his movies include, but are not limited to the following:
- Deadly Affair (1987)
- My Good Will (2001)
- Death Warrant (2001)
- The Final Clash (2002)
- Tears and Sorrows (2002)
- My Love (2002)
- Sister Mary (2003)
- Disguise (2003)
- Because of Love (2003)
- Two Become One (2004)
- Sweet Love (2004)
- I Want Your Wife (2004)
- Annabel (2004)
- Divided Kingdom (2005)
- The Snake Girl (2006)
- Supremacy (2006)
- Titanic Battle (2007)
- The Prince of My Heart (2007)
- The Love Doctor (2007)
- Wind of Love (2008)
- Test Your Heart (2008)
- Love, Lies, and Murder (2009)
- Jewels of the Sun (2011)
- Housemates (2012)
- Stigma (2013)
- Secret Weapon (2014)
- Secret Act (2014)
- Golden Love (2016)
- Marry Who You Love (2016)
- Black Arrow (2020)
- Royal Cross (2020)
Is Emeka Ike Still Active in the Movie Industry?
As the years went by, the actor gradually went off the big screens to the dismay of his fans. Many Nigerian movie lovers have greatly missed the vibes of the Nollywood Bad boy, who suddenly became scarce. It can be recalled that Emeka Ike, sometime in the past, decided to take a break from his acting career to cool off; this was probably one of the traumas of his earlier divorce. According to reports, the actor had moved to Germany along with his family.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the veteran actor’s absence from the acting scenes resulted from his confrontations with many Nollywood producers over the controversy of sex for roles. Emeka Ike has been described as many to be one who vehemently chastises movie producers for indulging in the illicit practice of demanding sex from female actresses before giving them roles in their movies. This is why many think that his absence in the industry could be related to his numerous clashes with producers.
But to cheer you up a little, Emeka Ike, the Nollywood lover boy, is back on the screens as he has been spotted on set with some of the new generation actors. The Nollywood kingpin featured in some movies in 2020, including Black Arrow and Royal Cross. It is heartwarming to know that Emeka Ike is now back in Nigeria and has also decided to return on set to continue his acting and movie production career, which he is best known for.
A Look at His Biggest Achievements As An Actor
The Nollywood actor and producer have succeeded in imprinting his footsteps in the sands of time as far as the Nigerian movie industry is concerned. He has risen to become one of the most successful actors in the entire history of Nollywood. Emeka Ike has achieved so much in terms of recognition and accolades in his career.
Apart from a long list of his movie awards, he has also been the President of the apex acting body in the country, the Actors Guild of Nigeria. The Veteran actor has also launched a TV station and established a film institute in Ghana -My Academy West Africa, to mention a few. This has made it quite tricky to identify his most significant achievement as an actor.
- Best Actor in a Leading Role at the African Movie Academy Awards – 2004
- Film Association of Nigeria America Best Actor – 2004
- ZAFA Builder Charge Award UK – 2006
- City People Best Actor Award – 2008
- UN/UPF Peace Ambassador Winner – 2008
- Niger Delta Actor of the year – 2009
- Winner Celebrity Gulder Ultimate Search – 2010
- Achievement award at the National Heritage Award – 2016
- President of Actors Guild Nigeria – 2016
- Nollywood Living Legend at the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards – 2017
- Best Actor of the Year at the City People Entertainment Awards
- Chieftaincy title of the ‘Turakin Kudendan’ of Kaduna – 2017.
His Other Exploits Outside Acting
Away from the big screens, the renowned actor has also tried his hands in politics. This played out some years back when he contested for the seat of House of Representatives to represent his constituency, Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State, under the auspices of the Young Progressive Party (YPP). Unfortunately, the actor suffered a defeat by his counterpart and lost the election. However, he later became the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria in 2016. Additionally, he is also a businessman and philanthropist as he has been involved in some humanitarian activities.
He Got Married at Age 33 and Divorced 17 Years Later
The lover boy’s real-life love life could be said to be a far cry from that of his movie scenes as he has not been too lucky in his relationships. In 2000, Emeka Ike tied the knot with his heartthrob, Suzanne Emma, who is half-Dutch, half-Nigerian. He and Suzanne were blessed with four lovely kids, namely Michael Ike, Chinonso Ike, Jayson Ike, and Adanna Ike.
Unfortunately, the union later hit a brick wall, owing to a long unresolved dispute between the couple. This degenerated further to the point that the Nollywood actor’s wife, Suzanne, filed a divorce suit at a Lagos Island Customary Court in 2015, alleging that she could no longer put up with the continuous torture she was facing in her matrimonial home. The suit lingered for quite a while, but Emeka repeatedly distanced himself from all the allegations leveled against him by Suzanne.
It got to the point that the actor stooped so low as to beg the judge not to disband the union because he is still very much head over heels in love with his wife. Despite that, the court later ruled and dissolved the union in 2017, ending the 17-years old marriage. However, the actor was granted full custody of his children, while his ex-wife was given the right to visit them from time to time.
He is Currently Married to a South African Lady, Yolanda Pfeiffer
The legendary actor remained single for a few years before luck smiled at him as he found love again. He later married his second wife, Yolanda Pfeiffer, a South African lady whom he met at an award event in Germany. The couple tied the knot in 2017 and has been together to date. At the moment, his conjugal bliss with Yolanda seems to be all rosy. The couple welcomed their first child together in Germany in October 2019.